


tradition

by ace_corvid



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and the Signal (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Duke Thomas deserves the world, Duke Thomas-centric, Family Bonding, Gen, Ice Cream, Mentions of other Bats, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26131012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ace_corvid/pseuds/ace_corvid
Summary: “Would you like to- Hmm.” Bruce couldn't seem to find the right words. “There's a... Well, there's a small tradition that I have with all of the boys, from when they were smaller.”“Oh, yeah?” Duke feigned disinterest. “Well I'm not exactly small these days, but I'm open to anything.”“We could go get some ice cream?” He offered, and this has to be one of the most awkward conversations Duke has ever had the pleasure of being a part of, but he can't help but be touched by the gesture. He must have done this with all of the Robins, and well, for want of a better word it's nearlysweetthat he wants to do it with Duke too.
Relationships: Duke Thomas & Bruce Wayne
Comments: 32
Kudos: 216





	tradition

**Author's Note:**

> hi yes im putting off my other wips by writing duke fluff i know this and shut up  
> i just wanted some cute lil ice cream bonding ok is that so much to ask?? huh??
> 
> THANK U FOR LOOKING THIS OVER ED I OWE YOU MY LIFE
> 
> and uh yeah hope you enjoy  
> duke thomas rights

The Signal slammed his foot into the last of the Joker's henchmen's chest, who dropped to the floor with a satisfying yelp of pain.

He was done for the night. Finally. He was so tired he felt like his arms might drop off; and to think, Duke thought his stamina had been good _before_ becoming a teenage vigilante _._ Alas, it had been nothing compared to what it takes for a full night of patrol with the Bat.

Usually, Duke is on the morning shift, so to speak, as the daylight protector of Gotham. He isn't built for the shadows; instead, it's his job to create them, as the light. But Bruce had asked Duke for his assistance on this case, which meant working the night instead. And what was Duke gonna do, say no to Batman? Bruce had called it 'gaining experience', but Dick had only smiled widely and fondly, unabashed in that way he always was with Bruce, before nudging Duke and mouthing 'bonding'.

Duke wasn't sure he wanted to confront the implication that working a case with Batman qualified as a bonding session, so he was perfectly happy to just call this a case, even if it  _did_ cast some horrifying context on why Jason acted the way he did whenever his cases crossed with the bats. Still, they cracked it pretty quickly, found some ties to the Joker and cleaned house relatively simply. It had been a good mission; not easy, but challenging in the good way. The burn in his arms, the buzz of working out the murderer, and the adrenaline of the fight- it was glorious. 

He looked back down at the unconscious Joker goon, and Duke found himself smiling.

He was beginning to get good enough at this stuff that he could actually enjoy vigilante work. Duke could understand now how this stuff got addicting. How you learned to love the fall just before you grappled, and the dizzying feeling of solving a mystery with nothing but evidence and your own mind behind you.

Behind him, Batman emerged from the shadows, and Duke even managed to not jump out of his skin in surprise.

“The perpetrators have been apprehended.” Batman said in that spooky gravel voice always used when he had the cowl on. It was still jarring to hear when Duke was more familiar to the velvety cadence of Bruce Wayne.

“Great. I'm finished up in here too.” Duke gestured to the multiple thugs that lay broken around the room , spanning his arms around him widely and nearly spinning with the movement.  “Sending in the PD for them then?

Bruce grunted.

“Yeah, makes sense. We should probably bounce then huh? I'll meet you on the roof of Lorrie's Diner?”

Another grunt.

“ _Cool beans_ .” Duke grinned, mimicking Stephanie's tone as he grappled out of the warehouse just as Bruce melted into the shadows and Gotham's police department began filing in to make the arrests.

Duke soared through the air, relishing in the crisp cold of the night time. It was almost strange to  _not_ have the sun in his eyes as he flew through the air, not that they got much of it in Gotham. The city lights shone brighter, like they were trying to usurp the stars hidden in the polluted haze, and for a second Duke can imagine he's flying high enough to be surrounded by sky.

Eventually however, his feet find the roof, Bruce patiently waiting having beaten him there.

So Duke took the scenic route, sue him.

“Hey B.” Duke saluted. “How'd it go on your side?”

“They weren't particularly skilled fighters. I didn't sustain any injuries.” Bruce shrugged, and for a man who tried to be so expressionless, he sure did look smug. “And yours?”

“It actually went really well, yeah.” Duke allowed himself a proud smile. “I'm finally starting to feel like I have the skills to back up the good ol' vigilante instinct.”

“I recruited you out of the We Are Robin movement for a reason Duke. You were an ample fighter, but more importantly, the minute you heard the Riddler's riddle you decided it was a problem for you.” Bruce said. “That's not the kind of thing you can train, really. You've always had the skills.”

“Not knowing what's good for me and being incapable of minding my own business isn't a skill, Bruce, it's just the vigilante ethos.” Duke argued, laughing as he pointed an escrima stick at him playfully. “And I don't know, I could hold my own in a fight, but that's not all there is to this business. I guess I finally just feel like I've got the rest of it.”

Bruce was silent, and for a moment Duke felt the bitter wind caress his face beneath the helmet as the two of them stood tall on the rooftop, the people in the diner below them clueless as to the heroes above them. When he didn't answer with neither words nor a grunt, Duke took it as an invitation to carry on speaking.

“So,” He ventured, shrugging to the rest of the Gotham skyline, somehow more menacing in the dark of the night. “Do you want to go join the others on patrol?”

“No.” Batman hesitated. 

_Batman. Hesitated._

“Would you like to- Hmm.” He couldn't seem to find the right words. “There's a... Well, there's a small tradition that I have with all of the boys, from when they were smaller.”

“Oh, yeah?” Duke feigned disinterest. “Well I'm not exactly small these days, but I'm open to anything.”

“We could go get some ice cream?” Bruce offered, and this has to be one of the most awkward conversations Duke has ever had the pleasure of being a part of, but he can't help but be touched by the gesture. He must have done this with all of the Robins, and well, for want of a better word it's nearly  _sweet_ that he wants to do it with Duke too.

It was so easy to imagine a younger Dick Grayson badgering Batman for ice cream that it almost startled a laugh out of him, but Duke managed to subdue himself.

“Sure,” Duke chuckled, not missing how noticeably nervous Bruce was. “I could really go for some mint chocolate chip.”

Bruce grunted, and Duke has never been so thankful he learned Bat's language, because this slander against mint choc chip  _would not stand._

“Excuse you, just because it's the best-”

Duke continued to argue as they made their way down to the batmobile until finally a question struck him as they got in the car. 

“Actually, uh,” Duke started. “What ice cream parlour are we going to? Like is there a specific one?”

“Yes, there's a specific one. The Frosty Spoon; it's the only one near our patrol route that stays open late enough.” There was familiarity and fondness in Bruce's tone as he spoke of the place, but the name froze Duke still.

Duke stayed silent for two blocks until he quietly answered. 

“That's where my dad used to take me.” Duke said, voice soft. Batman slowly parked up the car and turned to look at him fully in the eye.

“We can find another place if you want.” He offered, a solid and steady presence beside him.

“No, that's ok. You said it was tradition, right? It wouldn't be the same for you if it wasn't there, would it?” Duke protested.

“It's not about me Duke, it's about  _your_ comfort.”

“Seriously Bruce, I'll be fine.” Duke replied, insistent. “I'm the god damn Signal, I can handle this.”

A long, weighty pause penetrated the air before Bruce spoke again.

“You know, it took me a very long time before I was able to take Tim out for ice cream.”

“What?” Duke asked, perplexed.

“After Jason... passed.” Bruce's eyes went slightly glassy as he got lost in the memory. “I never intended to have another child. But then Tim, stubborn even then, pushed his way into my life and I am thankful for that every single day. But back then, I wasn't as grateful, and sometimes he reminded me so painfully of Jason that it hurt.”

“Oh, wow.” 

Holy emotional vulnerability, Batman.

“I tried to distance myself from Tim, but I was doomed from the start.” The fondest grin worked it's way onto Batman's face, and it looked a little bizarre. “As much as I tried to keep it as a professional thing, he's a very likeable kid. But I couldn't bridge that gap and take him out for ice cream, because the last kid I had done that for was...”

“Jason.” Duke finished, nodding.

“Yes. Eventually, I did take Tim to the Frosty Spoon, and he loved it. I don't think anyone had ever taken him out for ice cream before, and it was a lovely day. It was worth the wait. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it the same if I hadn't waited until I was ready. My point is; we don't have to go now, Duke.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Bruce.” Duke smiled. “But I'm really ok, and I'm craving mint chocolate chip. I promise.”

“Ah yes. Because you're a heathen who likes ice cream that tastes like toothpaste.”

“I can't believe Batman just called me a heathen  _and_ has an opinion that horribly wrong.”

“No one will ever believe you.” Bruce smirked, and if this was the Batman everyone got to see, Duke figured they just might. Unfortunately, Bruce was right, and also a bastard. 

“Have you ever taken Jason since he came back?” Duke asked as they drove along. Bruce's hands tightened on the wheel, but the relaxed atmosphere didn't crack.

“Not yet- I don't think we're there yet. But I'd like to, when he's ready. I know Dick brings Damian there more often than I ever bring any of you boys, and I think Tim brings Cass whenever he's feeling down. Sometimes I wish he'd just ask me to take him. I would.” Bruce admitted, looking exactly like a father still unsure of what he was doing after all this time.

“Does he know that?” Duke prodded. “You should offer. I'm not breaking the bro code or anything, but sibs know shit. Maybe he doesn't feel like he can ask you any more.”

Bruce pulled a face as they pulled up in the car park, but didn't move to get out of the car. “Maybe. Nonetheless, this isn't about your brothers, this is about you. How have you been?”

Duke pondered it for a second. “I'll tell you over ice cream, yeah?”

“Sounds good.” Bruce unplugged his seatbelt and got out of the car in a smooth practised motion while Duke was still fumbling with the latch. “All I ask is that you don't laugh at the cashier's face.”

“Oh man I didn't even think of that.”

The Frosty Spoon had become a little run down over the years since Bruce had brought the first Robin in here for a banana split and a break, but the fluorescent lighting flickered the same, and the neon lighting still lit up the car park like a dream land of pinks and yellows and greens and blues. It was almost liminal, especially in the witching hour of the night. The leather in the booths was faded and the linoleum tile had seen more than it's fair share of ware, but all the same the little ice cream shop was faring well, even at as odd hours as this.

The poor girl at the counter clearly wasn't paid enough to serve Batman and the Signal a cone of  _Banoffee Blitz!_ And  _Marvellous mint choc chip!_ and it showed. Her face was priceless, and Duke barely avoided bursting into hysterical giggles as she'd asked what they'd like today in slight awe.

“So do you get your ice cream different as Batman too?” Duke asked as he hopped up onto the hood of the Batmobile, crossing his legs.

It was a cold, but nice night. Not exactly ice cream weather, but the insulation in the suits meant that didn't exactly matter much to them. It wasn't raining and there wasn't any distant screaming, so it was good enough for Gotham.

“I do. In civilian I usually go for strawberry or the novelty alcoholic flavoured ones.” Bruce licked the ice cream cone and it was very nearly surreal, but strangely, Duke noticed, it just felt casual. Like he was hanging out with his dad or something.

The realisation hit him like a stone, and he desperately flubbed the accidental silence that he left in the wake of it, effectively shattering the easy atmosphere they had going.

“Nasty.” He pulled a face, trying to go for comical, but it didn't land. Bruce definitely noticed something was up, and he wasn't the kind of guy to let it go.

Bruce grunted.

“Nothing's up.” Duke replied, petulantly licking his ice cream.

Another grunt.

“I swear!” Duke tried to laugh, but it was still flat. He couldn't see under the cowl but he got the distinct impression that Bruce was raising an eyebrow.

“Is this about your father?” Bruce asked, and ok, they were doing this apparently.

Duke sighed. “Yeah.”

“I know you miss him, Duke. I would never try to replace him.”

“Technically,” Duke huffed. “It's very easy to replace my father. He's an immortal douchebag who I'm quite frankly glad wasn't around for my formative years. Remember?”

Bruce levelled the Bat Glare at him, but it was too late. Duke was already immune. Sucks to suck.

“You know that's not who I'm talking about.” Bruce ground out. “But I know you've been through a lot with that recently.”

“Yeah.” Duke said, pausing as a small bit of his ice cream melted onto his glove. “Look, Bruce, I already technically have two fathers. I don't think one more is gonna break me. But I'd like a little time to process this first.”

“I can do time.” Bruce answered after a beat. “I'd wait forever for any of my children, if they asked. And I do consider you my child, Duke. I can't help that.”

The words made something warm and fuzzy light up in Duke's chest that he didn't want to acknowledge just yet, and it contradicted the cool chill of the ice cream.

“I know.” Duke answered. “Thanks.”

“So tell me about your day. How have you been lately?” Batman asked, and what was Duke gonna do, say no to Batman?

So Duke did tell him; about his awful science teacher who seems to hand out detentions for breathing, about how much easier English analysis was now that Duke was more well versed in other kind of analysis, about how his creative writing projects were going, about how he was planning on getting milkshakes with Jason sometime this week, and how he was planning a DND campaign with Tim.

By the time he finished the ice cream, Duke almost doesn't want to leave.

Before they got back into the car to head back to the manor, Duke bit the bullet and threw his arms around the dark knight, dragging the hero of Gotham into a quick hug.

“Thank you for the ice cream.” He said, even though Bruce knows it's not the ice cream Duke is thanking him for.

“Anytime, Duke.” Bruce muttered gently, Batman growl completely gone for just a second, just for them, alone and hugging in the car park to Batman's favourite ice cream parlour. He kissed Duke's head softly, ignoring the gawking cashier who could see them through the window, and with that they both climb back into the batmobile.

It's a good night; almost worth all of the mint chocolate chip slander.

**Author's Note:**

> holy emotional vulnerability batman!! ;)
> 
> you can find me at:  
> Tumblr: ace-corvid.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: twitter.com/ace_corvid  
> come yell at me!
> 
> thank you so much for reading, see you next time! And if you enjoyed this, a comment would really make my day!


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